Environmental Update: New Texas Legislature and Drought

The old adage “there is good news and bad news” easily summarizes the environmental issues in the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District (PGCD).  Good news includes recent legislation that mandates environmental notifications to groundwater districts.  Sadly, in addition to the destruction of crops, the drought has delivered even more bad news by jeopardizing the status of many wildlife species. 

                 

     The 82^nd Texas Legislature passed several bills which will have a positive impact on PGCD.  Senate Bill 430  which requires the executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to give written notice to a groundwater conservation district if  contamination occurs within the district’s boundaries. PGCD has not received any notifications since this law became effective on September 1, 2011.  House Bill 444 requires TCEQ to notify groundwater conservation districts when an application is made to dispose of municipal or industrial waste within the district.  Since the law went into effect, an application for a well at the Asarco facility in Amarillo has been received. 

The Texas Panhandle provides a home to a vast number of migrating shorebirds including thousands of ducks and an estimated half a million Sandhill cranes.  Additionally,  several species of fish, mammals, and reptiles are found within the District’s boundaries, many of which are on the endangered species list.  All of the area’s wildlife depends greatly on playas and spring flow that feed surface water bodies; however, extreme drought conditions have greatly reduced both. 

PGCD monitors spring flow in a variety of locations, but is not able to guarantee that there will be sufficient production to sustain the myriad of animals that depend on their supplies.  The few resources for water have been inundated by livestock and predators alike seeking sustenance and the habitats of many of the listed species have been severely impacted.  Migratory birds are expected to be forced to fly further for food and water this winter, expending more energy and resulting in lower reproduction, while a dramatic decline in the reproduction of quail, antelope and deer is already apparent. 

With agricultural losses alone totaling more than $5 billion, Texas has only begun tallying the true cost of the drought’s devastation.  Fortunately, the legislatively mandated notifications will aid us in protecting the quality of the water resources we do possess.  As empty playas dot the landscape, we remain hopeful for rain, and in the meantime, PGCD will continue to monitor all of these issues.